When a new children’s class is starting, the Board recommends starting with Grade 1 lessons, no matter what the ages the children are. If the new class has predominantly older children, it is suggested that each lesson is conducted over fewer sessions, the art component varied or supplemented, and drama activities or alternative games used, as long as these still clearly build on the theme of the lesson. A service component may also be added. The reason for starting with the Grade 1 lessons is that it is important for the children to gain a foundational understanding of developing spiritual qualities before going on to the other grades which have more advanced themes and a higher degree of Bahá’í content. While early grades may appear simple, the content is indeed profound, and deeply engages the minds and souls of children even if they are slightly older. Unlike other systems of education, the Ruhi Institute is concerned with building the spiritual capacity of individuals through a process that is gradual and organic.

While starting with Grade 1 is highly recommended, this approach may not always be appropriate when a friend of a child already in a class wants to join into

a Grade 2 or 3 class.

An example of this is where several children (relatives and neighbours of the current children) joined an existing class in the latter stages of Grade 1.

As the class graduated to Grade 2 the next year, provision was made for the class to be split into two, with the older children and those who had been in the class longer moving into Grade 2 with the existing teachers, and the younger children who had more recently joined restarting Grade 1.

As currently conceived, our book for training teachers to conduct classes for children in the second year of a program for their spiritual education, generally aged six or seven, will consist of two units.